Toyota went before the House Energy and Commerce panel Wednesday to voice its concerns

Toyota Motor Corp. is worried that Wi-Fi could mess with auto safety systems, and believes it could be dangerous without proper testing.

According to The Detroit News, Toyota went before the House Energy and Commerce panel Wednesday to voice its concerns. John Kenney, principal research manager at the Toyota Info Technology Center in California, told the panel that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) shouldn't allow Wi-Fi to use part of the spectrum designated for automobile systems until tested for safety.

“We don’t want a mom driving a car down the road with kids in the back seat, and because she happens to be driving by a coffee shop that’s using Wi-Fi, her collision-avoidance system turns off,” said Kenney.

Kenney said it should "be proven that no harmful interference will impair the safety-of-life mission for which that spectrum is allocated," including kids using devices in the backseat of a car.

Vehicles would be in communication with each other and traffic signals [Image Source: Volvo Cars]

Automakers are currently working on vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, which allows cars to "talk" to each other and communicate warnings to the driver as well. For example, your car could let you know that another vehicle ahead is about to blow through a stop sign in an attempt to avoid a crash.

In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said V2V could one day help prevent up to 80 percent of traffic crashes.

Automakers and governments have spent about $130 million for V2V research and testing. Also, 10 major automakers and technology companies have been working with NHTSA’s Connected Vehicle Research Program since 2012 in a V2V pilot study in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Toyota clearly wants to see the technology work and be implemented in the coming years, hence its most recent Wi-Fi concerns.

Black boxes have been in cars for decades; very useful for determining faults in accidents and the like. All the USG is doing is specifying the minimum that should be recorded, so there is at least some minimum standard followed by the car companies.